Knitting is therapy for me.  The rhythmic moving of the needles, the counting of the stitches, the feeling of accomplishment once an item is completed. I just love it. Although my second grade teacher taught me to knit originally, I only learned how to complete a project in a class I took following the death of my twin daughters. I just needed something.  Something to occupy my mind, to keep my hands busy. Something that was just for me and a reason to get out of the house. Little did I know how healing it would be for me.

Now, it helps me to unwind at the end of a busy day. I have taught my older two boys how to knit as part of our homeschool lessons and sometimes we do it together, but for the most part, I find time to knit after they have gone to bed and Wednesday evenings at our local library, where a group of ladies from our town gather to stitch and talk together.  They call it Stitch and Bitch, but truthfully there is not very much bitching that happens.

After a few years of knitting lovely but easy rectangular things – mainly scarves and blankets – I stepped out of my comfort zone recently to try knitting a sweater.  I figured I’d start with a baby-sized one, since it would take less yarn and less time, and see how it went.

This “Fuss Free Baby Cardigan” pattern was a perfect one to start with.

I loved it. It was quick and cute, and although I needed to look up a you-tube video to learn the “stretchy Russian bind off,” I knew how to do most of it without any difficulty at all. I was surprised at how easy it was to do.  I’m sending this one to a friend who is expecting her fifth boy!

I’ve since been working on a second one for another friend who has a grandson on the way, and even working on it here and there around sick kids and other projects and, well…chaos, it’s almost finished after just a few weeks.

If you’re interested in trying an easy pattern for a baby sweater, I highly recommend this one!

I’m “MrsPJT” on Ravelry, or you can just post a comment here if you have any favorite knitting patterns you’d like to share!